~ Jenn in Real (Mid) Life: Cupcakes, Dachshunds & Auntdom, Oh My!

Monthly Archives: August 2014

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you have surely heard about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. It has been taking over Facebook. Every celebrity who is anybody has being participating, trying to out-do the next one. I personally have enjoyed this phenomenon. It has brought a great deal of awareness to ALS and it has been a pretty genius fundraiser.

I recently participated in the challenge, after being nominated by my friend Jody. Secretly, I had been waiting to see who and when I would be nominated. So I was kind of excited about it.

The concept, if challenged, is that you donate $10 to ALS and then dump a bucket of ice water over your head. You then challenge other people to do it, generally, within 24 hours. If you choose to take the challenge, you continue the challenge. If you choose not to, you donate $100 to ALS. If done properly, ALS charities wins either way.

This has been going on for several weeks now. And the backlash has been happening. As with anything nowadays, it was bound to happen. The trollers on the internet have to be negative. Well, haters gotta hate. Some of the critics have been complaining about the water being wasted, especially here in California. And yes, there is a serious drought here. Water conservation is very, very important. I am not at all meaning to take this lightly. When I did my Ice Bucket Challenge, I was conscientious to do it on some very thirsty grass at my brother’s house. Their dogs also enjoyed the ice. So one small eco-system also benefitted. I have also noted that many of my friends that have completed the challenge have also been aware and noting the drought. Some using beer, or water from their shower etc. I applaud these people.

The bottom line if that this is something thought up to bring awareness to a horrible debilitating disease. A disease that has no cure, no relief. There isn’t as much federal funding that goes to ALS research because of the nature of the disease. I am not saying that one malady is more important than another. But now people are talking about ALS. People have watched videos about others dealing with the disease. And it is spreading. It has gone viral, as they say. And they have raised incredible amounts of money for the cause.

I think that I am just frustrated with the people and their negativity. So here is an easy solution. If you are concerned about water conservation, you can opt out of the challenge and donate money instead. Voice your concern about water and spread that around. It benefits two causes. My friend Jamisson did just this, and it is brilliant.

Another solution, donate to another charity that is closer to your heart. Charity is great no matter where it goes. Pour kibble over your head and donate to a local animal shelter. Why not? Again, your dogs benefit from the spilled kibble and the ones that get the donation benefit too.

And finally, if you really are not on board, then just don’t watch. Scroll past them in your feed. It is not your thing. It is that simple. There is just no reason to negatively comment on people who are trying to do something good. (While I am on my soapbox- this also applies to books, movies, TV, Starbucks, whatever. If you don’t like Twilight, then don’t read or watch Twilight. If you don’t like Starbucks, then make the choice to go to a local or other coffee shop. If you don’t like zombies then don’t watch Walking Dead. It is that simple. But leave the others that DO like those things alone. There are plenty of people out there that like other things. It makes the world an interesting place. If you have to say something negative to another person about what they like or create, maybe you shouldn’t be talking. Thank you , that is all. Stepping down from soapbox)

So I personally defend the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I am not ashamed of having done it. I am glad that I did. It was fun and I donated too. I hope that some of you out there have had fun participating. And more importantly I hope that you have donated. It feels good to do good for others.

It is the blog post that you have all been waiting for. A recap of my 2014 GISHWHES adventure!!
Okay, so maybe you have not been waiting for it, but it is my favorite post to write about. So here it goes.

If you are not familiar with GISHWHES, you have not been reading my blog long, or not been paying attention. GISHWHES is the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen. (For more information go to http://www.GISHWHES.com or you can find GISHWHES on both Facebook and Twitter) Basically it is a week-long hunt for items that cause you to create, step out of your comfort zone and do random acts of kindness.

This is the second years that I participated. After having just a small group locally, my litte team- The WaterMelophants, consisting of myself, my sister and Niece #1, recruited several other people locally. We got a couple of friends from hockey (Ben & Jeremy) on board. One of my husband’s friends (He really is my friend too!)- Critter, had helped us out last year, so we pulled him into the insanity. Critter then convinced his neighbors (Cyndi & Jane) to join in. They in turn brough in another local friend (Deming) and a friend from the UK (Becki). So we were pretty set going into it this years with a local plus one team of 10.

The hunt ran Aug 2-9. So on Tuesday our team was merged with a group from Ohio of 5 (Riley, Laura, Ali, Ben and Jimmy). The WaterMelophants became Team WaterMelophantsLovesArcticSockMonkeys. Thankfully, we had more time this year to chat with the team as a whole and attempt to develop a game plan. (Tip with GISHWHES: You always think that you initially have a game plan. But you never really do.)

Item #69: IMAGE (one image with 15 images edited into it). An image of each of the members of your team in Brady-Bunch style grid format. Photos should be mug-shot style with each team member holding a black and white sign stating their city and country of residence.

My local team made a plan to meet up at a local pizza place to go over the list. So Saturday August 2 at 11 am (PST) came and the list was release. This year the list began with 185 items. A bunch more than last year. And as expected, the feeling of being completely overwhelmed set in.

Yes, I know that you have heard me gush about GISHWHES before. I am not going to lie. I loved it last year and I loved it this year. The difference this year was that year of experience. But it is also difficult to share that wisdom gained with someone who is new to the hunt. The feeling of being overwhelmed goes quickly to that of superiority. You can do the entire list on your own. So I will tell you that our local team meeting consisted of a lot of that outlook. And you cannot be the person that tells the new GISHER that they shouldn’t try to do too much. It can be stressful. So my sister and I committed to the tasks that we knew that we could do an kept a list of the possibly ones.

The meeting ended and the first of many trips to the Dollar Store ensued. The hunt had begun.

Item 130- IMAGE. An angel made from feminine hygiene products.

Last year I mentioned several things that I learned as being part of GISHWHES. And this year is no different.

Lesson 1- As I mentioned last year, saying “Thank You” goes a long way.
This is still the case. Be grateful. It is really that simple. You ask a lot of your friends and family while doing GISHWHES, and letting them know that you appreciate them it kind of a big deal.

Lesson 2- Facebook does not always let you down.
I recently discussed my disenchantment of FB. Well, this year FB came through for me. I posted several outrageous requests; i.e.- needing a Flash costume, needing a potato cannon, needed a fish costume. And this year, I got responses. We never did get the Flash costume, but I did find a potato cannon. My friend Lesley was the hero of the week for me by letting us borrow her snorkel costume and by literally whipping up both a fish costume and a geisha costume. Lesley is truly an amazing person and I could not be more grateful to her for help.

The other thing that has redeemed FB is that our team created a secret group and communicated mainly through this group. Niece #1 is not on FB so she was a little left out. And at my request, we tried to use an alternative method of communicating through Google + but that was a grand failure. And I have learned that I am not a fan of the Google apps.

Lesson 3- Don’t doubt yourself.
This lesson I actually learned upon received the 2013 GISHWHES yearbook. It showcases the work of other teams. One things that the yearbook does is basically shows you that you could have completed items that you did not think that you could. And it shows that people of all shapes & sizes have the confidence to put themselves out there. So there is absolutely NO reason why I couldn’t do the same. Sure there were things that I was still a little self conscious about but the inhibititions had decreased. Seriously, the worst that can happen is people will look at you like you are a weirdo or tell you “no.” So what!

Item #41- VIDEO or IMAGE. Go through a TSA (or your country’s equivalent) checkpoint dressed for snorkeling. Explain to the TSA what you’re doing, prior to doing it. If they don’t allow it, don’t do it

Lesson 4- I am not in my 20’s anymore!
Yes, I know what you are thinking. That is not an epiphany, Jenn! And it is not but what I was reminded of is that there are two sides to this thought. There are some things that I just physically can no longer do without repercussions. I cannot stay out all night and survive on coffee anymore. I need my sleep. I make no apologies for this. You like me better when I have had my sleep. Making a total fool of yourself in public at 41 is a little different from doing it at 22.

On the flip-side, I have the wisdom of being in my 40’s now. I know that you can’t commit to do every task on the list. The little petty bickering is not as likely to happen. You know how to ask for help, because of the years you have been on this earth.

And I will tell you that it is a little sad that I am not longer in my 20’s from time to time, but honestly I prefer being in my 40’s. So that was a nice hidden reminder.

Lesson 5- Everyone brings something to the table.
This was not a new lesson for me. I think of life in this way this all the time because of the wide array of people who I meet in my line of work. But what GISHWHES reminded me this year was that we may not all be the most artistically talented people. Our completed task may not have been the most stellar way the item could be accomplished but it is accomplished. This was a bit of a sore spot for me this year. I will tell you that there were members on my team that were truly amazing in their tasks. Just beautiful art work. I was not one of those people. But I can plan things out, be resourceful and get a task done. And I found there were times that I felt other members of our team forgot that. I got over it, after a little bit of hurt feelings, by reminding myself that I have a little more maturity (See Lesson 4.)

Item #83- IMAGE. The writers and producers of the TV series, “Supernatural”, sometimes pretend they don’t like the limelight. Of course this is false-modesty. Immortalize one of them with a stately portrait done in sidewalk chalk art.This was done by one of my amazing teammates Ali Davis

I appreciate that I learn these lessons every year. I also like that I find a little more in myself by doing this seemingly silly scavenger hunt. I started participating in GISHWHES last year as a way to push myself out of my comfort zone. And it definitely does that.

There were a couple of cool things that happened as part of this year’s hunt. The first one I was thrilled to death at. I few weeks prior to the beginning of the hunt, there is a call for GISHERS to make suggestions for item ideas. Some of those items may make the final list. And since I started playing along, I have sent in suggestions. I am guessing that I sent in at least 25 different suggestions for items. Well, this year I was thrilled to read through the list of items and come across Item 184:

IMAGE. Design a sci-fi movie poster with the stars played by Misha Collins and the Queen of England. You may not use existing altered media images. It must be drawn or painted (digitally painted is acceptable). – Jenn Kirscher

Yep, kids, that is me! My suggestion made the list. [On a side note, the original list has my last name misspelled. It is a common mistake. I let them know but I accept the fame anyway.] So of course our team had to complete this item. But as I mentioned earlier, I am not all that artistic. Thankfully my friend Ben painted the most amazing poster for this item. As you can see from the picture below, it is so incredible! And I point out that Ben originally told the rest of the team that he does have many talents. Again, I tell him that he is a LIAR! Dr. Ben, I thought you were pretty cool before all this, after seeing your hidden talents, you are one of the coolest people I know.

Thanks Ben for making my suggestion come to life!

That beautiful poster is now hanging in the office at my house. And it makes me smile every time I look at it.

The other cool thing that was different this year occurred after the hunt ended. There was a call for people to apply to be a FEGVEP (First Ever GISHWHES Volunteer Program) member. And what these people got to do was review some of the completed items to see what images will make the annual GISHWHES yearbook. So, as you can imagine, I jumped on that. And I am happy to report that my application was accepted. As of the writing of this blog, I have reviewed 5 different items. And I love it. I want to do this all the time. It has truly been the most fun to see what other people have done. And again be shown that I could have probably completed some of these tasks also. My sister also was accepted to be a FEGVEP reviewer and has gotten to review 3 different video tasks.

This year by the end of the hunt, there ended up being 197 tasks. At the last count it is estimated that our team completed right around 95 of those items. But some of them were spectacular. My sister, Niece #1 and I completed or participated in 25 of those items. Not as many as last year, but the whole experience was much better and much more organized. Niece #1 was pretty busy the same week of the hunt, so we will attribute some of that to her non-availability.

So I come away again from GISHWHES with a little more confidence than I had when I started. I come away with several new friends. And I come away with some awesome new artwork for my office. I also came away with the now annual experience of purchasing mass quantities of feminine hygiene products from the Dollar Store. I come away being certified in CPR. I come away with some quality time spent with my family. I also came away a little tired but that I planned for by taking some time off work. But more importantly, I come away happy and feeling like a better person than before I started.

I truly love the GISHWHES experience. And I am counting down until next year. So on that- go out and give something back! Be different! It will do you good.

Item #29- IMAGE. If you’re like me, you’re sick of the go-to barista foam-art. If I have to sip at another latte adorned with a fern or clover shape, I’m going to cry. Let’s see the Elopus professionally recreated in the foam of a café’s hot drink.

My mom was born in the Midwest. She moved to the California when she was a small child. This is not terribly unique, but I bring it up because she learned to cook based on that Midwest sensibility. Now, I want to clarify that my mom is not a bad cook. She has many skills in the kitchen. She is a child of the 60’s & was a young housewife of the 70’s. So as you may be aware, that red-checkered Better Homes & Gardens cookbook was a staple.

I did not grow up with a very varied palette. I don’t think that not having a variety was terribly uncommon for that time frame. Families in the 70’s and early 80’s didn’t got out to restaurants as often as we do now. My family stuck to what it knew and that was that.

I lived on my own for most of my 20’s, sometimes with roommates but there were several years when I lived alone. I am sure that it is common for people to branch away from what they knew once they get out in the “real world.” And I did, thank goodness.

I can tell you that I didn’t try my first bagel with cream cheese until I was probably 19. I always thought that I didn’t like cream cheese. WTH was I thinking? I think that the biggest changes came when I lived in Hawaii at age 22. I tried sushi for the first time, and some traditional Hawaiian foods. From there it was a slow accumulation of expanding my food repertoire.

I must say that it wasn’t until after I got married that I started to really understand just what was out there in the land of food. My husband likes food, and his family was probably similar to mine growing up but he was never afraid to try new things. I did not eat much red meat when Ed and I started dating. He on the other hands is a “meat and potatoes” kind of guy. This is the one thing that I sometimes don’t like about the food world of Ed.

Within the last couple of years, I have mustered up the courage to try food that I never thought that I liked. I am in sheer adoration of sushi. I simply cannot get enough! I am slowly branching my way out into the world of nori, rice and raw fish, but happily so. Ed will tolerate this but is not a fan of nori, so it is soy paper for him.

I was never a fan of spicy food, but thankfully that can be changed. Two years ago, the thought of Siracha was terrifying to me. I would tell you that I don’t like hot stuff. Not anymore, kids! The bottle with the rooster is a welcome sight.

With this came my first dive into Thai food. Sheer heaven. I still only order mild on the Thai scale but please bring it on. Pineapple rice, anyone?

The latest in my eating brave trend was Indian food. I have avoided Indian cuisine for many, many years based on the premise that I do not like curry. When I lived in Hawaii, the neighbors below us made curry dishes way too frequently. And I could not stand the smell. My ex-roommate grew up in Hawaii and loved curry. I forbid him to cook it when I was home, again because I did not like the smell and thought that I did not like it. Let me publicly apologize to him right here and now. Chris, I am so sorry. I was greatly wrong all those years. I love curry dishes.

Ed and I recently tried the local Indian restaurant and it was utterly delicious. If it weren’t on the complete other side of town, I would eat there at least weekly.

There are still some things that I won’t eat. I do not eat eggs. I don’t like them. I can’t really explain that to you. Maybe it is a texture thing. Who knows! But that is where it is good to have a husband that balances you. Eggs are always ordered on a separate plate and handed to him immediately. Thankfully, he doesn’t like mushrooms, so I can take those off his hands when they find their way into his meals. (Much to his dismay or disgust, I am not sure which.)

So, yes it wasn’t until my 30’s and 40’s that the real branching out began, but it began. I question my thoughts on what I thought I didn’t like. I recently bought an easy Indian cookbook and made tandoori chicken at home. Not something 20-year-old Jenn would ever have done. And I am constantly urging my nieces to try things. I don’t want them growing up thinking the way I did. Niece #1 has ways to go, but she does like basic sushi. (Okay she has tried California rolls and spider rolls. But it is a start) Niece #3 is a little more adventurous. She has declared that she likes Indian food after trying naan and tandoori chicken. Hey, it’s a start.

Break out of your shell people. Try that one thing that you always thought you hated. You just never know.

TA-DA!

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